OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford Pomfret Town Clerk Allison Dispense administers the oath of office to Highway Superintendent Jude Gardner at the town board meeting.

It’s official: The town of Pomfret will have fire and emergency protection from the Fredonia Fire Department for three more years.

The Pomfret Town Board ratified the agreement by a 4-0 vote during a special meeting Thursday. Councilman Christopher Schaeffer was not present. The Fredonia Village Board gave its blessing to the deal earlier in December.

Under the contract, Pomfret will pay the village of Fredonia $411,610 in 2019, $418,264 in 2020 and $425,682 in 2021. That compares to $385,000 in 2016, $396,550 in 2017 and $408,446 in 2018 in the current pact.

All of Pomfret outside the village of Fredonia and Lily Dale is covered by this contract. Lily Dale has its own volunteer fire department.

Pomfret Supervisor Don Steger and Councilman Brett Christy said the new contract was identical to the current one except for the dollar figures. “I’m very pleased with it at this point,” Steger said.

Christy thanked members of the Fredonia Fire Department for their work and for being at the meeting Thursday. None of them spoke at a public hearing prior to the vote on the contract, nor did anyone else.

In other business:

¯ Pomfret Town Clerk Allison Dispense administered the oath of office to Highway Superintendent Jude Gardner. A 12-year employee of the town, Gardner won election to his first full four-year term as superintendent in November. He’s held the superintendent’s position by appointment since February, when he was named to serve out the term of the late Dan Bigelow.

¯ The town board approved Paul Kinsgbury as a full-time employee of the Highway Department. He was previously classified as a temporary employee.